Service valve box



July 7, 1936. .1. P. LEOFFERT 2,046,330

SERVICE VALVE BOX Filed Aug. 14, 1954 INVENTOR ATTORN EY Patented July7, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT CFFICE SERVICE VALVE BOX John P. Leoffert,Kenton, Ohio Application August 14, 1934, Serial No. '739,785

1 Claim.

This invention relates to service boxes which give access to the cut-offvalves of gas and water pipes, and has for its object the provision of abox in which the valve will be positively and firmly supported, thetendency of frost to lift the box will be come overcome and distortionof the valve from this cause will be avoided. The invention isillustrated in the accompanying drawing and consists in certain novelfeatures which will be hereinafter first fully described and then moreparticularly dened in the appended claim.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a service box embodying theinvention.

Figure 2 is a similar view taken in a plane at a right angle to Figure1.

Figure 3 is a horizontalV section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a similar view on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

The reference numeral I .indicates a gas or water service pipe and 2designates a cut-olf valve interposed in said pipe, the stem 3 of thevalve being on the upper side. The service box comprises a tubular lowersection 4 which has a forked or arched lower end 5 spanning the valveand provided in its side walls with horizontal grooves 6 in which asupporting plate 1 may be engaged to firmly support the valve and resistany tendency of the valve to settle or sink within the box, as shown andas will be understood.

The upper end of therbox section 4 is open to permit the insertion of akey for engaging the stem 3 when the valve is to be opened or closed,A

and externally a thread 8 is formed around the upper end of the sectionto engage vertically spaced lugs 9 on the inner surface of the uppertubular box section I0, this construction and arrangement permitting thesections to be readily telescopically adjusted according to the depth ofthe valve. The upper box section I0 has an open upper end, of course,and its outer surface at said end is formed with a non-circular band orflange II, the flange being preferably octagonal, as shown in Figure 3,although it may have any desired number of plane faces. Slidably ttedupon the upper box section is a sleeve or housing I2 which should belong enough to extend below the frost line, and the 5 bore of the sleevehas a cross-sectional contour corresponding to the contour of the flangeII. The upper end of the sleeve is provided with an internal shoulder I3which limits the downward movement of the sleeve by impinging upon the10 upper end of the box section I0, the end of the sleeve beingexternally reduced to accommodate the ange I4 of the cap I5 which issecured upon the sleeve by a screw I6 inserted through the cap and a lugI 'I on the sleeve, as shown 15 and as will be readily understood.V

The action of frost in the ground is to lift the box and heretoforedistortion of the box, displacement of the valve, and breakage of thepipe at the valve frequently resulted. With my construction, the valveis positively supported and the lifting action of frost is received bythe sleeve which slides upward on the upper box section leaving the boxintact and undisturbed. Should the sleeve remain raised, slight pressurefrom ones foot will push it back into Vplace. Should the sleeve becracked or broken it may be easily lifted and withdrawn withoutdisturbing the box and a new sleeve just as easily slid into place overthe box. The box is not apt to be cracked as it is housed in and by thesleeve.

Having described my invention, what I claim 1s:

A service box including telescopically adjustable upper and lowersections, and the lower section having its lower end widened andbifurcated to provide confronting straight walls, and which walls atpoints throughout the length thereof are provided with series of opposedtransverse grooves to receive therein a removable plate and said plateaffording. an adjustable support for a cut 01T valve fora gas or waterservice pipe. i

JOHN P. LEOFFERT. 45

